Cigarette-making machinery



Filed Aug. 19, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l W. E. MOLINS 'CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINERY Nov. 11, 1930.

Filed Aug. l9, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. ll, 1930. w MOLINS CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINERY Filed Aug. 19, 19277 Sheets-Sheet "3 NNN\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Patented Nov. ll, 1930 UNITED STATES 'PAT LNT OFFICE WALTEB, EvnnETT MOLINS, OF nnrrronnonnov, ENGLAND v CIGARETTE-MA KING MACHINERY .i

Application filed August 19, 1927, Serial No. 214303, and in Great Britain August 27, 1926.

This invention is for improvementsgin or relating tocigarette makingmachinery and more particularly toa cigarettemaking machine of the continuous rodtype wherein to bacco located within a hopper is automatically fed to the rod forming rnechanis'n.`

The consistency of the cigarettes manufactured by a machine of the above character depends largely upon the quality of the tobacco employed and the manner in which the a Further, it is found that if the tobacco in the hopper is not maintained at a constant level, the weights of the cigarettes produced by the machine are liable to vary, as also is the case when the tobacco is allowed to accumulate in dense masses without being opened out before being fed to the carding mechanism which feeds the tobaccoto the rod forming mechanism.

The accumulated errors produced by the above defects produce cigarettes of varying consisteney, and it is an object of the present invention to provide means Whereby the de- 3.5 fects may be corrected before the tobacco is fed to the rod forming mechanism.'

The prese-nt invention consists of a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine of the continuous ro d type, wherein the tobacco is automatically fed to the tobacco hopper by meansoperable to separate automatically the long and short shreds of tobacco from one another. The invention is more particularly de scribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig, l illustrates in sectional side elevation a cigarette making machine of the continuous rcd' type towhich the present invention i s applied.

'sprocket 15 Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional side elevasion of the tobacco elevating and shifting mecha nism. i j

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1 in direction of arrow A i Fig. 4 is an enlargedside elcvation of the tobacco elevating elements of the mechanism which comprises the subject matterof the present application. v

Fig is a part plan View of Fig. 4.

Fig.'6 is a cross section of the worm conveyor on the line C-C of Fig.; l, and

F ig. 7 isa section on` the line D-D of the' auxiliary hopper illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the tobacco ele- I* Vator and sifter which constitutes the sub-' ject matter of the" present application 'are shown applied to a tobacco feeding apparatus of the type set forth inBritish'Patent No., 249575. r I

The tobacco'clev'ating and sifting mechanism comprises a recep'ta cle' 1 which is adapted to eXtend upwardly towards the feeding roller 2 of the tobacco hopper.

Mounted in the receptacle 1 are a 'series of elevating elements 3-which are provided With teeth 4 arranged to ncline upwardly. The elevating elements 3 are adapted torecipro- 'cate in an upward 'direction in 'such 'a 'manner that each alternate elementis adapted to reciprocate 'out of phase relatively toits neighbour. i I

One set of elevating elements 3 arecarred' upon spindles and', the remaining set-of elements being carried upon spindles 7 and& The spindles 5' and 6 are connected through cranks 9 and 10 to sprocket wheels 11 and 12 andjthe spindles 7 and 8 are connected through cranks 13 and fl& 'to sprocket wheels 1 5 and 16.' Sprocket wheel 15' is driven from' the main 'drive of the machine through pinions 17 'and `18, and the is arranged to'drive the sproc-kets 11, 12 and 16 through chains' '19 arranged to pass over the' said sprocketsand held in contact therewith byyieldingly con trolled idlers' 20. e V

The ends of` the elev atingelenents 3; which are 'located adjac nt to' the feed ng` roller 2 are cur'ved'in'wardly s'o' as to form to- I u 'gether with the upper surface of the roller 2 the base of the main hopper to which the long shreds of tobacco are fed.

e The elevating elements 3 areseparated from one another'b-y spaces (Figs. and 'WhlCll are' arrangecl to permit the short shredsof tobacco separated fron the long shreds to e fall between the elevatingx eleinents onto the back wall 21 of the receptacle il from which they into atrongh, .22 'inwhich'is arranged a-wrm` 23 which 'is operable to inovethe short shrecls of to bacco to one end 'of the t'rough %and de posit the same in an upwarcllylirected chan nel' '24 in which s 'arranged to rotate an i up'wardly ohrectecl .wenn 25 which feeds'the a shortshreds'of tobacco' upwardly to an auxiliary hop'per 26 in which is arranged a wenn; '27 ,whichfeeds-the 'short shreds'` of tobacco along the auxiliary hopper :and allows the sameto allthrough a slot 28; (F ig.

;6)3 formecl'jinthetbase ,of the hopper 27-01: tothe mass of'long shreds of tobacco which:

islocated in the space above the'f'eed roller Qancl the combing roller 29. The feed roller the .auxiliary Thiisj it willbe seenthat if amass bacco isplacedin the receptacle 1, 'the re- `ciproeating elevating elements 3 feed; the same upwardly in steps and at the same time i Vgorously vibrate the tobacco, allowing the short shreds of tobacco to fall between the elements' 3 on to the back wall 21 ofthe receptacle 1 and thereafterintothe trough 22 fromwhich they are fed into the auXiliary hopper'26.f The long shreds of tobacco are to the' auxiliary hopper 26' and according;`

to the quantityofshorts present in the to` bacco s'oth amount of short shredswhich are deposited overthe mass o f long' shreds ;in` the main hop-per is'regulatech The open- V ing 28, however, in the auxiliary hopper may be adjusted by means. of the adjustable'base plate 31 s o that if too great anaccumulation :of shortshreds occu-r in: the auxiliaryjhop.-

per, the base .-plate 31 may be opened soras flto allowthe short shreds of tobacco to be fed on the mass of long shreds of tobacco in the main hopper. If, however, the short shreds ,of tobacco are *only present ina small u quantity, the'slot 28 maybe reducedin order that a line of shortshreds;-maygbe fed over i It will be apprcteclthatthaction of the has been treated by thefeeclingrollerot the t v -longshredsonly tdsaid-hopper; The 'short shreds are conveyecl upwardly the long shreds for therentire length of the hopper. e v v e It Will be appreciated that in the Construction hereinbefore set forth, :it wo-uldbe possible'to maintain one set of elements 3 stationary allowing the remaining set to reciprocate, and it is tobe understoocl that such Construction is to be considered as' a. modification which comes within the anbit of the present invention.

elements& hereinbefore described is to 'rase 'the tobacco from the 'receptacle 1, into the are 'fed ,to the hopper are opened out before they are ,fed into the'main ho-pper.

It will be appreciated that as the elevatng `elements 3 areoperating continuonsly, the

long shreds of tobacco Will be fed intovthe main hopper at a rate slightly in: excess'of the main tobacco co-nsumecl by theca'ding mechanisn1of the' to-bacco apparati'is,' therei ,fore the excess of tobaccowill' periodcally' fall fromthe main hopper back t h ceptacle 1', :and as thistobacco is that which con bing roller 29 and the brushing roller, the same sshable to begformed into a clense mass and therefore the. return ofthe same ;to-the receptacle 1 enables the tobacco to be loosenecl by' the separating elements in itspassage to the main hop'per;

, Vhat I clainr as jnynvention and clesire to secureby Letters Patentis:---- i r 1 In a tobacco `feeding"apparatus ,for 'a cigarette making machine; %a hopper, .and means for feecling tobacco tojsaid hopper and simultaneously efl'ecting separation' of the v short and long shreds of tobacco; .fed upwardly in steps :by theelevatingfele- 'mentS Band are `fed to the feeclingxroller 2; at a constant rate,' th is ensuringthat. a

I definite quantity of tobacco is alwaysted to the feecling roller 2. e

2. n a tobaeco feecling i apparatis for 'a cigarette making machine, the-comhinatioir wwitha hopper, of a conveyor for separating for loosening the tobacco,-'and pernitting the 4. In a:tobaeco feeding apparatis for cga rette machine the combination with 'a 2 c nve or; ra V ncin ne ho er,ofo fo da t' tobacco step by step'tothe hopper and simu'lt taneouslyseparating out? theshort. shreds of tobacco. i i 5 In a tobacco feeding appa-ratus for a cigarette making machine the combination withareceptacle for tobacco,\ofahoper-lotcated above said receptacle, and ,a v eom eyor *so g 'different portions of a mass of tobacco to inpart aorward mo-venentto the-whole mass 'for elevating the tobacco from the receptaclc to the ho-pper and simultaneously separating out the short shreds of tobacco.

In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine, the combination with a hopper,of means for feeding tobacco to said hopper and for separating out the short shreds of'tobacco, an auxiliary hopper, and means 'for conveying the separated short shreds to said auxiliary hopper.

7. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine, the combination with a hopper, of a conveyor for separating out the short shreds of tobacco and 'feeding the long shreds only to ?said hopper, and means associated with said conveyor :for distributing the separated short shreds over the long shreds in said hopper.

8. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine, the combinaton with a receptacle for tobacco, of a hopper above said receptacle, a conveyor for elevating the tobacco from the receptacle into the hopper, said conveyor serving to separate out the short shreds of tobacco, and means for elevating the short shreds and distributing them uniformly over the long shreds in the hopper.

9. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine, the combnation with a receptacle for tobacco, of a hopper` above said receptacle, a conveyor for elevating the tobacco from the receptacle into the hopper, said conveyor serving to separate out the short shreds of tobacco, an auxiliary hopper disposed above said first mentioned hopper, and means assocated with said conveyor for elevating the short shreds into said auxiliary hopper for uniform distribution over the long shreds in said first mentioned hopper.

10. In apparatus for treating tobacco for use in a cigarette making machine, the combination with a plurality of spaced movable elements for receiving tobacco thereupon, of means for recprocating adjacent elements in opposite directions for loosening the tobacco and causing the short shreds to fall between said elements.

11. In apparatus for treating tobaccofor use in a cigarette making machine, the combination with a plurality of spaced elements 'or receiving tobacco thereupon, of a plurality of cranks supporting said elements, and means for rotatng the cranks associated with adjacent elements at the same speed but With a phase difference of substantially 180 degrees for loosening the tobacco and causing the short shreds to'fall between said elements.

12. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cgarette making machine, the combination with a hopper, of a conveyor for separating out the short shreds of tobacco and' feeding long shreds only to said hopper, said conveyor comprising a plurality of elements eX- tending longitudinally of the path of movement of the tobacco and being spaced in a direction transverse to such movement, and means for reciprocating adjacent elements in the direction of their length for loosening the tobacco and causing the short shreds to fall between said elements.

13. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette makingmachine, the combi'nation with a hopper, of a conveyor for separating out the short shreds of tobacco and feeding long shreds only to said hopper, said conveyor comprising a plurality of elements eX- tending longtudinally of the path of movement of the tobacco and being spaced in a direction transverse to such movenent, a plurality of cranks supporting said elements, and means for 'rotating the cranks associated with adjacent elements at the same speed .but with a phase difference of substantially 180 degrees for loosening the tobacco and causing the short shreds to fall 'between said elements.

14. In a tobacco feeding apparatus for a cigarette making machine, the combination with a hopper, of a conveyor for separating out the short shreds of tobacco and feeding long'shreds only to said hopper, said con veyor comprising a plurality of elements eX- tending longitudinally of the path of movement of the tobacco and being spaced in a direction transverse to such movement, a plurality of cranks supporting said elements,

and means for rotating the cranks associated with adjacent elements at the same speed but with aphase difference of substantially 180 degrees for loosening the tobacco and causing the short shreds to fall between said elements, and means for elevating the short shreds and distributing them uniformly over the long shreds in the hopper.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WALTER EVERETT MoLINs. 

